Guest Editorial

BY STEVE LAMAR | JANUARY 15, 2014

Let’s make one New Year’s resolution

The holidays, wow! No matter your expectations, or whether reality even remotely matched the wistfully recalled moments of pure childhood thrill that fueled again the hope that this holiday would be perfect. You are probably, like most of us, glad to get back to the business of facing the new year, and making darn sure that 2014 is the year that all those resolutions will become reality.

The great American fresh start syndrome is in season. We scoff at the notion that 30 pounds is a lot to lose, or that running a marathon with bad knees is maybe not such a great idea. This is the new year, we will, by sheer force of will, and dogged steely eyed determination cast aside all that has stood in our way. We will forever more be that smarter, trimmer, happier, lovable, wildly successful person that has waited all these years for this very moment to arrive.

Then it’s June. We come across this silly list stuck in the workout diary we forgot we bought at Walmart in January. We wonder aloud who wrote this nonsense ... then a self-effacing whisper of a thought ... well maybe next year.

So let’s be smart this year, and avoid the inevitable dance of self-absorbed delusion. This year let’s make one New Year’s resolution. Let’s resolve to be good citizens of Cave Creek. Let’s take just a little time to find out what has happened and is continuing to happen in Cave Creek town government. Let’s find out who lied to us to get elected, who made promises they haven’t kept, and made other promises no one should ever make. Who is spending our tax dollars on self-promotion, high rolling credit card waste and useless projects.

We have come through roughly 45 days devoted to giving thanks, celebrating and reflecting. We have been given a great opportunity as citizens of Cave Creek to look outside ourselves and take action to put this town back on a positive track. Hani Saba, a respected local pharmacist, and Susan Clancy, a member of the local school board, both long time citizens of Cave Creek have stood up for us and said enough is enough. For the good of the town they have formed a political action committee, and have secured petitions for the recall of a slate of self-serving opportunists who would ruin this town for the personal gain of themselves and a handful of back room supporters.

We have seen that Cave Creek cannot count on Mayor Francia to serve the town over his personal interests. Devoted to the spread of gambling in Arizona and using the title of Mayor to open doors to that end, Francia will continue to appease the Trenk regime and its big money out of town backers as long as he believes that the citizens of this town are too busy to get involved and look behind his resolutions for the truth. Hani and Susan have the guts to stand up for this town. We should be good citizens and help them put Cave Creek back on track.

Mayor Francia has suffered the same fate as the mighty Wizard of Oz. The Wizard seemed all-powerful to Dorothy and Toto. With a band of unlikely friends, a lion looking for courage, a tin man looking for a heart, they, with the help of good people along the way, looked somewhere over the rainbow, and followed the yellow brick road to the great Oz. With courage they fought off the nasty minions of Oz and revealed to all that, like Mayor Francia, he was just an ordinary, selfish, little man hiding behind a screen, using the image of power, and some very nasty minions to serve himself. Like Oz, Francia needs to have his microphone turned off.

We are blessed beyond all measure to live in a free democratic society. We are blessed beyond all measure to live in Cave Creek. We have a recall election that will return the town to its normal a two-year election cycle. It is time to get involved and restore honesty and service to town hall.

For the Love of Cave Creek – get connected. Stay connected. This is our town. We need to protect it.